Sometimes it is enough for two religious festivals to fall close to each other in the calendar for us to conclude that there must be some relationship between them. For example, the December holidays of Hanukkah and Christmas have led more than a few people to assume that, since both winter festivals involve gift-giving and candlelight, Hanukkah must therefore be some sort of “Jewish Christmas.” Of course, the two festivals are very, very different, commemorating very different historical events 160 years apart.

But sometimes holy dates that are adjacent on the calendar are related, and can even cast light upon each other. The Jewish 8-day festival of Passover [Pesach] and the Christian festival of Easter are not the same, by any means. Yet they are also interconnected in ways that are very thought-provoking and enriching, if we are willing to dig below the surface to learn more about them.
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